Struggling To Survive:
Barriers to Justice for Rape Victims in Rwanda

I. Summary

II. Recommendations

III. Background

Sexual Violence during the 1994 Genocide

Rwandan Women in the Post-Genocide Period

IV. Barriers to Justice for Sexual Violence Crimes

Genocide Prosecutions in the Rwandan Legal System

General Context

Legislation Governing Genocide Trials and Gacaca

Cases of Sexual Violence in Genocide Trials and Gacaca Proceedings

Obstacles to Reporting Sexual Violence

Victims’ Concerns Regarding Lack of Evidence

Stigmatization, Retraumatization, and Inadequate Procedural Protections for Witnesses

Post-1994 Rape Victims: Persistent Stigma and a Cycle of Violence

Obstacles to Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Violence

Lack of Testimonial and Medicolegal Evidence

Inconsistent Verdicts Due to Lack of Definition of Rape or Sexual Torture under the Law

Failure of Authorities to File Rape Charges Pursuant to Reports of Rape

Health Care and Other Assistance for Victims of Sexual Violence

V. Government Response

Statutory Law

Training and Resources for Effective Investigation, Prosecution, and Protection

Medicolegal Training

Progress in Police Training

Training of Prosecutors and Judges

Counseling and Legal Education Services for Victims

Number of Women Serving as Police, Prosecutors, and Judges

Reform of the Gacaca System

VI. International Legal Standards

Violence against Women

Right to Reparations

VII. Conclusion

Acknowledgments

September 2004   Vol. 16, No. 10(A)

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